Thomas Jacques Somerscales (born in Sculcoates,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

on 29 October 1842; died in Sculcoates,

on 27 June 1927) was an English teacher, sailor, and landscape and marine painter. He is also considered a Chilean painter as he began his career as an artist there. Many of his landscapes evoke the region and many of his marine paintings feature notable events in Chilean naval history and have become patriotic national icons in that country.

Life and career

His father was a shipmaster, who sketched, and his uncle was an amateur painter. However he had no formal training as an artist and originally became a teacher in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. He joined the Royal Navy in 1863 as a schoolmaster, and served mostly in the Pacific, firstly on HMS Cumberland for six years, then the corvette HMS

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing. Etymology Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλεί ...

and finally HMS Zealous, flagship of the Pacific Station. Having caught a fever in Tahiti, he was subsequently invalided ashore at Valparaiso, Chile and discharged from the Royal Navy. He settled in Chile and from 1874 teaching at The Mackay School in

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

he started working as a professional painter. By 1893 (when he had returned to Britain) he was still being referred to in England as a "little known artist" but had gained some praise.The Academy, pg 466
/ref> Although he returned to Britain in 1892 and spent most of the following thirty-five years in his home country, he remains far better known in Chile (where his work is on display in several prestigious locations) than he is in the UK. His life's work has been detailed in the book: "Thomas Somerscales, Marine Artist" by Alex A. Hurst. He is commemorated with a green plaque on

The Avenues, Kingston upon Hull The Avenues is an area of high status Victorian housing located in the north-west of Kingston upon Hull, England. It is formed by four main tree-lined straight avenues running west off the north-north-east/south-south-west running ''Princes Ave ...

Selected paintings

File:Armada Chile 1era Escuadra nacional.jpg, The First Chilean Navy Squadron File:Combate Naval Iquique-Thomas Somerscales.jpg, Sinking of the '' Esmeralda'' at the Battle of Iquique File:Prat Muerte.jpg, The Death of Arturo Prat Chacón on the '' Huascar'' File:Escuadra Nacional Chilena 1879.JPG, Chilean Navy, 1879 File:Cambate Naval de Angamos.jpg, The

Battle of Angamos The Battle of Angamos ( es, Combate de Angamos) was a naval encounter of the War of the Pacific fought between the navies of Chile and Perú at Punta Angamos, on 8 October 1879. The battle was the culminating point of a naval campaign that las ...

References

1842 births 1927 deaths Chilean marine artists 19th-century Chilean painters 19th-century Chilean male artists Chilean male artists 20th-century Chilean painters 19th-century war artists 20th-century war artists Chilean war artists Chilean male painters Male painters 20th-century Chilean male artists {{Chile-painter-stub

Life and career

Selected paintings

See also

References